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  I did this. I came to meet this guy, and he’s an asshole. Now, my best friend is in trouble too, and it’s all my damn fault. Shit!

  Nick shakes me. “No, you’re makin’ a scene, so you’re gonna come with us nicely so we don’t get shit from anyone around us. Then I’ll show you exactly who we are.”

  “If I have to scream from the fucking rooftops, you better believe I will. We aren’t going anywhere with you.” Bristyl glares, and I have no doubt she’ll do it.

  Suddenly, these guys show up and Bristyl seems surprised to see them. One I recognize as the guy with the beard who’s going to get his dick chopped off because he talked to us. Their cuts say Ravage MC.

  There’s so much going on, and the pain Nick is inflicting on my arm is dragging me down. What the hell!

  “These are our bitches. Go find your own,” Nick yells, and I feel the tears falling down my cheeks. I’ve never had a man touch me like this before. It’s horrible and I want it to go away, never to experience it again.

  Bristyl comes out of nowhere, getting between me and Nick. Her head is down, and I think she’s biting him because he growls and lets go of me. I quickly move out of the way.

  Nick lifts his hand like he’s going to hit Bristyl, but then one of the Ravage guys comes up and punches Nick in the face. He pulls my best friend behind him, in turn pulling me as well. The Ravage guy hits Nick quite a few times, causing him to groan miserably.

  “What’s going on?” a very large and intimidating man says. He looks similar to the one we’re hiding behind except much older.

  “Assholes are putting their hands on women who don’t want to be touched,” the guy says.

  The older man says, “Let’s move this away from prying eyes.”

  “Bristyl, you and your friend follow us,” the guy blocking us says. My body starts to tremble as we walk down the bleachers. They move us under the bleachers, and Bristyl and I take a seat. Tears cascade down my face, and I’m unable to stop them.

  A few of them are talking, but I’m not paying attention to what is said. I just can’t believe that happened. I’m not even sure where those three guys are at the moment. All I can do is hold on to Bristyl who has her arms around me while we sit on this bench behind the bleachers.

  “Green!” I somehow hear over the roar in my ears. A large, bulky man approaches me. He has blondish brown hair, and his smile is very easy going. He doesn’t give off any vibes like the trio started to give off when it all went downhill fast. I don’t know why, but he seems very different from the others. I could be totally full of shit too, considering my take on the last guy.

  “Bristyl, come here so I can find out what happened,” the guy who punched Nick says. I think I heard his name was Cooper, but I could be wrong.

  Bristyl doesn’t leave my side until a much older man says, “Promise nothin’s gonna happen to her.”

  Bristyl turns to me. “Leah, I need to talk to these guys. Breathe. Everything’s gonna be fine. I’ll deal with this, and then we’ll get the fuck out of here.” I nod just as Green takes her place.

  “Got yourself in a bit of a pickle, huh?”

  I breathe out, not wanting to be a sobbing mess in front of this guy. Hell, I don’t want to be a sobbing mess in front of any guy.

  “Something like that.”

  Green chuckles, “What’s a beautiful woman like you gettin’ mixed up with assholes like that?” His question makes me feel very stupid, but I answer honestly.

  “Stupidity. Thought he was a good guy. Guess my take on men sucks,” I blow out, getting my tears in check.

  “Let me take a look at that arm.”

  Tentatively, I move so he can examine my arm. His touch is like an electric current and feels absolutely nothing like what Nick did to me. He moves it this way and that. It’s sore, but without the pressure of Nick’s hand it feels better.

  “Got ya good,” Green says, releasing my arm. Something crosses his eyes, but he taps it down quickly. “Give it some time and it’ll heal up.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Gotta promise me somethin’.” His smile makes his face come to life.

  “What?”

  “How’d you meet this guy?”

  Shaking my head, I look up to the sky. “Online dating site.”

  He bursts out laughing, and I’m trying to figure out if he’s laughing at me or with me at this notion. “Beautiful, you don’t need no fuckin’ datin’ site to find you a man. Any man would break his back to get you. And, baby, you only want a man who will.”

  My insides get warm. Green puts his arm around me, and instantly I fall into him. There’s no rhyme or reason. It just happens, and I like it.

  “Green and Coop will walk you to your car,” the older man says and while I’m happy to be getting out of here, I’m kind of sad too. Green’s a really nice guy. But no man wants to have drama at his doorstep, and that’s what I brought tonight. And that’s all I am right now. Drama.

  He wraps his arm around my neck, and the comfort is appreciated as we walk up the large hill to Bristyl’s car.

  Green walks me over to the passenger side, while Cooper takes Bristyl to the driver’s side.

  I turn to Green. “Thank you for your help tonight. I’m sorry about it.”

  He brushes my hair behind my ear gently. “My pleasure helpin’ a beautiful woman. You take care of yourself, and no more online shit.”

  A smile graces my face. His gaze is intent, and I feel as though he wants to kiss me. That can’t be true. My mind is just messed up from the situation I caused, and I’m reading more into it.

  “It’s gone.” It’s more than gone. It’s erased from my computer forever. Terminated. Never again. I’m not a woman who has to learn a lesson twice. This was a very large learning experience. One I never want to repeat.

  With a finger under my chin, he says, “Stay safe, beautiful.” I melt for a brief moment. He opens the car door, and I just know that I’ll never see this guy again. It’s such a shame. Why couldn’t he be on the site for me to meet.

  “Thank you,” I whisper and get in the car, and he shuts the door behind me. A few moments later, Bristyl gets in. Bristyl lays into me hardcore.

  Little did I know, none of this would be over.

  READ on in Bound by Affliction: https://www.books2read.com/BoundbyAffliction

  About the Author

  Ryan Michele found her passion in bringing fictional characters to life. She loves being in an imaginary world where anything is possible, and she has a knack for special twists readers don’t see coming.

  She writes MC, Contemporary, Erotic, Paranormal, New Adult, Inspirational, and other romance-based genres. Whether it’s bikers, wolf-shifters, mafia, etc., Ryan spends her time making sure her heroes are strong and her heroines match them at every turn.

  When she isn’t writing, Ryan is a mom and wife, living in rural Illinois and reading by her pond in the warm sun.

  Come Find Me

  Website: http://www.authorryanmichele.net

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorryanmichele

  Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RyansSultrySinners

  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Ryan_Michele

  Instagram: Author_Ryan_Michele

  The following excerpt is from:

  PowerHouse

  Power Chain Book One

  Preorder Now for $0.99 – price goes up to $3.99 on release day!

  Written By

  Chelsea Camaron

  And

  Ryan Michele

  please note the following excerpt is not edited and subject to change in the final version

  If this was the diary of a mad-man, my road to Hell would be a dark and twisted one.

  I am Onyx Blake.

  I lived my life by a code with no loyalties and no fucks to give about anyone but myself and my business.

  Welcome to the depths of power …

  Power Chain Series

  Authors Chelsea
Camaron and Ryan Michele team up to push beyond the boundaries, going darker than ever before and crossing a line into a deep, dangerous, forbidden world. One where no one escapes, even if they beg to.

  This is the Power Chain Series – a four book series of interconnected stand-alone romances.

  - Power House (Power Chain Book One) – Feb 20

  No one denies me. Especially her.

  She dismissed me.

  That was her first mistake.

  She thought I was a nice guy.

  That was her second.

  She had hope.

  That was the final straw.

  I am Onyx Blake.

  I’m a powerhouse in an ugly underworld only found in her nightmares.

  She’s going to learn quickly, I’m not the man to let anything go …

  Including her.

  Chapter One

  Onyx

  Absently, I flipped the zippo lighter in my fingers, open and shut, open and shut … waiting, listing to the sound of the click each time. I fucking hated waiting.

  I looked at my shiny silver watch seeing each second tick by. Eighteen-oh-three. Jacob was three minutes late. Three minutes of my time wasted.

  Timeliness was a particular thing for me. An association being late was an agitation I didn’t need.

  The quiet, dimly lit restaurant being closed for the night was the perfect meeting place, no interruptions and no prying eyes. The smells of tomato sauce and garlic filtered through the air like they were embedded in the walls from years of use. This family owned place, not mine of course, knew the need for discretion in my business. As for family, mine didn’t exist, at least by any blood relation.

  Standing, I slid the lighter into my pocket and made my way to the front door just as Jacob found his way inside, the door jingling from the small bell up above. With his face flushed and a look of fear, that he should have for being behind schedule, he waltzed in trying to hide his emotions only pissing me off more. Late didn’t register to me—no matter who it was--ever. Everyone in my business knew, I’m the one in power, in control, the king to my disciples. Don’t disappoint me, don’t make me wait, and damn sure don’t piss me the fuck off – everyone knew, including Jacob Cole. It’s the first thing we talk about when someone came to work for me and they signed it in blood.

  He stood in front of me, but I didn’t look at him. Instead, I gazed just beyond him as if he doesn’t exist because to me he didn’t, not anymore. He had his chance to have my attention, to do his job. There were no second chances. There were no ‘get out of jail free’ cards. One time was all it took and he decided today was his day. This shit was done. He was done.

  “Bossman, I’m sorry, I was negotiating.” He muttered and the words assaulted my ears like needles poking into center of the eardrums making them bleed.

  I had just started moving and halted immediately at his statement. Instead of giving him my full attention, I maintained my eyes locked beyond the man just to my left rolling one word around in my head. One word that should never come from anyone’s mouth except for me.

  Before I managed a reply, the man whined on, “The buyer wants to bail if they can’t see the merchandise now. Even a 3-D imaging will do they said.”

  Turning my head, I stared at the trembling young man in front of me. Disgust, anger, and absolute disdain clouded my vision. We were far from evenly matched, nowhere near equal levels both physically and metaphysically. I’m tall at six-feet-four-inches, he’s a solid ten inches shorter. I was a ruthless businessman he was a peon in over his head. So I glared down on him in more ways than one. It’s how I preferred it and very few could match me in height to look me dead in the eye. Even those people had a hard time keeping my gaze.

  Jacob had a slightly receding hair line and kept the rest of it short probably in preparation for losing it completely. Drops of sweat rolled down his face where his cheeks visibly quivered from his fear. I could smell the fresh menthol of his recently smoked cigarette. It drove me insane. What an absolute waste he was!

  Three minutes late … three minutes he probably spent puffing away on his tobacco stick trying to calm his shit down outside, when he should have been in here facing me. Three minutes of my time he wasted for a cigarette. Fuck that shit.

  He could smoke on his time, not mine. My time was money. My time was power. My time was mine … not his or anyone elses.

  “Did you say? You were negotiating?” I asked him with my voice firm.

  He nodded then shook his head back and forth right behind it. Indecisive motherfucker. Which was it, yes or no? None of it fucking mattered, he was a dead man walking, his time about to end.

  “Did you say the word negotiating?” I questioned again demanding more than a stupid fucking head bob. “Be clear, Jacob. This is a precise business. The answer is simply yes or no.”

  “Yes sir,” he stammered, hands trembling as the sweat continued pouring down his face soaking his white collared shirt.

  He should be scared.

  Fucking terrified actually.

  My reputation in this town demanded it and I owned it hard and fierce.

  In a swift movement, I slid the blade from the hidden wrist cuff built into the sleeve of my shirt. Settling the metal in between my middle and ring finger, I gripped the shaft knowing the blade was sharp and ready to pierce. From there, I swung my fist down in a forward motion catching my intended spot as I curved up.

  I never missed a target.

  My intention was pain, slow torture, and to wake this motherfucker up. My business was mine. He didn’t have the authority to negotiate with a client. No one did, and Jacob would be a fine example to spread word around town to my people. Far and wide the word would expand reaching the depths of the underworld. A simple reminder, they worked for me, not the other way around.

  I had the power.

  The power of life and of death.

  My hand settled only when the blade could go no further. His thighs shook around my fist like he might not be standing much longer. “Your cock lays to the left so you feel the pain straight to your balls right now.” I told him calmly while he cried out in agony. “Jacob, this business takes balls. Ones you clearly don’t possess.”

  I yanked the blade out, and stepped away from my victim leaving him standing in a puddle of his own piss and blood. It trailed from his cock and balls all the way down his legs as he crashed down to his knees harshly.

  He looked up at me with tears in his eyes, but unable to speak. I was certain the pain was unbearable, excruciating. It was intended to be. He blinked rapidly no doubt fighting to sort himself out, wanting to plead for mercy, yet fearing to in the same thought.

  “Consider your services rendered. Your exit package will be delivered shortly, Jacob.”

  He opened and closed his mouth before he could finally form words. “Please, Onyx. Please, give me another chance.”

  Fucking pathetic.

  Begging, not something I wanted to hear, ever. The only time I would listen to someone beg was a woman with luscious curves wanting my cock. I was always in charge.

  Always.

  A grown ass man begging with my name off his lips, that shit only pissed me off more by the second. When did men become such pussies?

  “Onyx, please, I’ll do anything.”

  Immediately, I shook my head. “No. Let me be clear since you have issues understanding. Your exit package will be delivered shortly – get your affairs in order Jacob. Quick.”

  The way he’s fucked this deal up, I should deliver the death blow myself. He knew what he was getting into when he came into the depths, just like I did and every other individual in my association. The man assigned to Jacob’s exit understands his job, his role, and won’t listen to a single word the man pleads with to save his sorry ass. This was how my association worked – we each had a job to do and we did it. And we all made a fuck load of money doing it. We knew the fucking score and took that shit like grown men do. Jacob, he had gone soft
. It’s a shame because when he started he had balls of steel. Alas, he’s made his bed, now he would lay in it.

  Grabbing a cloth napkin from the nearby table, I swiped the blade clean before tossing the fabric back to the table.

  Slipping the knife back in its holder inside my shirt cuff, I made my way to exit the restaurant. Jacob reached out grabbing at my legs to which I shrug off, turn around and nail him in the face so hard he falls to the ground completely.

  “Be a man, Jacob Cole.” Those were my parting words as I stepped out into cool the night air.

  On to the next. This was my life, my world, and it’s all completely under my thumb.

  Chapter Two

  Torryn

  What the ever loving hell!

  “Kennedy, answer the damn phone!” I yelled out at my phone before tossing it the passenger seat seeing it bounce once on the cushion. Could this day possibly get any worse? As soon as the thought entered my mind, I pushed it away. Everyone knew thinking things like that was just a recipe for everything going down the shitter further than it currently was. And I didn’t need any more bad luck—for a lifetime.

  Knowing I didn’t want to go home and face my apartment where the bills would certainly be piling up soon enough, I decided to drive to my sister’s house since she wouldn’t answer. I needed her support right now, the kind only a big sister could give. The comfort of her arms around me telling me everything was going to work out was what I needed. We had always been close. I considered myself lucky to have her at my side.

  Nothing was going right.

  One step forward, twelve steps back on a continuous cycle of hell, that seemed to be the story of my life.

  Eight months ago, our mother died with no life insurance, leaving us to handle the costs. Never having to deal with a funeral before, when the bills came all breath left me. Kennedy married a wealthy man, thank goodness, and he covered the expenses. I may not have liked Malcom, but he had taken care of my sister and at times me. While it was a blow to my pride to have to depend on them, I couldn’t help that life kept kicking me down every time I seemed to stand back up.